Read an excerpt In this excerpt from Story Engineering, author Larry Brooks defines the story element of concept.

About the book The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding of where to even begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that stories are every bit as engineering driven as they are artistic in nature. But the truth is, unless you are a master of the form, function and criteria for successful storytelling, then sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to write a story.

Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling—the engineering and design of a story—and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts.

You’ll learn to wrap your head around the big picture of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies:

• the four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot); • and the two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voice.

The true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!

Praise for Story Engineering

“If you’ve been searching for an accessible, well-reasoned explanation of how the story building process works, look no further. Here is the roadmap you need to understanding the craft of writing.”

—Terry Brooks, author of more than twenty five bestselling novels including The Sword of Shannara, Bearers of the Black Staff, The Gypsy Morph and many others.

“Story Engineering is a master class in novel writing. Reading it is like getting an MFA, without the pesky admissions process or student loans. This book will make you smarter about the craft. Period.”

—Chelsea Cain, New York Times Bestselling author of Heartsick, Sweetheart, and Evil at Heart, among others.

“Larry Brooks’s Story Engineering is a brilliant instructional manual for fiction writers that covers what the author calls the ‘Six Competencies of Successful Storytelling.’ The author presents a story telling model that keeps the writer focused on creating a dynamic living and breathing story form concept to the ‘beat sheet’ plan, through story structure and writings scenes. It’s a wonderful guide for the beginner and a great refresher for the pro. I guarantee this book will give you new ways to fire up your creativity.”

—Jim Frey, author of How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Thriller, and Gift of the White Light

“Larry Brooks’ groundbreaking book offers both novelists and screenwriters a model for storytelling that is nothing short of brilliant in its simplicity, its depth, its originality and its universality. Following his unique process is guaranteed to elevate your writing to the highest professional level.”

—Michael Hauge, author of Writing Screenplays That Sell, and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds

“Nobody on the planet teaches story structure better than Larry Brooks. Nobody.”

—Randy Ingermanson, author of Writing Fiction For Dummies

“A useful guide explaining how to transfer screenwriting techniques to the craft of novel-writing. Good for screenwriters, too, summarizing the essence of entertaining commercial storytelling with great clarity.”